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Brady Corbet's The Brutalist is a key contender in the 2025 awards race, wowing audiences and critics at the 2024 Venice Film Festival and winning the Silver Lion for Best Director.

The American actor-turned-filmmaker has already proved what a distinct director he is, with films like his debut, the fascism parable, The Childhood Of A Leader (2015), and his follow-up, the musical drama Vox Lux (2018).

However, nothing will prepare you for The Brutalist, an epic that turns the camera on László Tóth, a fictional Hungarian-Jewish architect who flees Europe after the war.

Played by Adrien Brody, Tóth is a visionary who arrives in post-war America, settling in Pennsylvania, where he meets a wealthy benefactor, the prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce, superb). The well-connected Van Buren promises to help Tóth bring his wife Erzsébet (an excellent Felicity Jones) – trapped in Eastern Europe after the war – to America, while the architect is on a huge construction project for the businessman.

Co-written by Mona Fastvold, who has collaborated with Corbet on all his features, The Brutalist will probably draw comparisons with the 1970s films of Bernardo Bertolucci or Michael Cimino. Cinematographer Lol Crawley shot on old-fashioned VistaVision film, lending the picture rich visuals.

In fact, Corbet's film even comes with a 15-minute intermission – including a countdown as the second half is about to start – making this a very cinematic experience indeed.

The Brutalist does that incredibly rare thing of putting architecture front and centre in a movie, as the artistry of Tóth clashes with the pragmatism of Van Buren. It's also a compelling family drama, with Van Buren's son Harry (Joe Alwyn) and Tóth's niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy) increasingly important in this story of building dynasties. The film's ambition is unparalleled, spanning decades and touching on topics ranging from drug addiction to cultural assimilation.

Leading the line, Brody is sublime in what is easily his best role since his Oscar-winning turn as another Holocaust survivor in The Pianist. Alongside him, Corbet casts wisely, with Alessandro Nivola a particular pleasure as Tóth's cousin Attila, a furniture maker who first takes him in when he arrives from Europe.

Corbet not only marshals a superb cast, he also pulls together a fine behind-the-scenes team, including Daniel Blumberg, whose symphonic score adds real texture to the work.

A film filled with artistry and invention, much like its protagonist, The Brutalist remains one of the most satisfying and special movies of the year.   James Mottram

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